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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · snap · pound · bore · capital · kick · game · rock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kick — in football
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. capital — money
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bore — to drill
  14. game — a match
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com